Thelma Carson (Letters,
Feb. 23) is grossly uniformed and ignorant of the education and training required of physical education teachers in Virginia. She is also misguided about the importance of health and physical education in our
curriculum. Physical education is not an elective subject in the state of Virginia. Two years of high school physical education are required for graduation. This includes nine
weeks of health education and nine weeks of driver's education.
Physical education is more important now than ever. Heart disease is the number one killer in the United States. It
is largely preventable through proper nutrition, exercise, and maintenance of low body fat. With more and more people dying of lifestyle-related ailments, health and physical education should be emphasized, not
cut.
Just noting the number of corporations and businesses that are now offering wellness programs shows the importance of health and fitness to employers. Health and fitness translate
into higher productivity and fewer sick days.
Sometimes physical education class is the only opportunity students have to exercise. It also teaches students the skills and knowledge for
building a healthful lifestyle beyond high school graduation.
Let me set the record straight about who become P.E. teachers. My high school senior year course load consisted of calculus,
French 5, advanced placement English, U.S. Government, Advanced Physics, and Physical Education 12 (an elective for seniors). I tested out of one year of college credits including six hours of English and six
hours of math required of all majors for graduation at James Madison University.
In college, health and physical education majors took science courses side by side with the pre-med
students. These science courses included human biology, chemistry, anatomy, and physiology. Physical education majors were also required to take additional sciences including kinesiology and exercise
physiology.
My colleagues and I chose to be physical and health educators not because of academic weaknesses but because we wanted to teach students the importance of health and physical
education.
It is sad that Ms. Carson feels that it is too hard to learn to read and write and also take physical education. Perhaps someone needs to inform her that after school help,
tutors and special needs classes are available to students who desire a good education, but are having academic problems.
Health and physical education is as important as any other
class. It is time that the misinformed portion of the public realizes that core classes, electives, and health and physical education are allies, not enemies. Only then can we maintain the high quality of
education offered in Fairfax County.
ANGELA L. HENSLEY
Lake Ridge
